Unwanted Help
by soraAI
Summary: Sora is a quiet kid Riku just wanted to help one rainy day. Upon discovering something, he has decided to figure out everything he can about the mysterious boy he wants to call his friend. er, yeah, cheesy sounding, I know..
1. Chapter 1

Hello! Ok, this is my first fanfiction, so...I apologize if it sucks. " Right now it's not angsty, but that's because the first chapter is more of a set-up, understand the story type of chapter. There will be more in the next one, I promise. So, please review so I know if people like/dislike this story, etc etc.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Disney and Square Soft does. But that confuses me..I thought the same creators of Final Fantasy helped make Kingdom Hearts, but they were called Square Enix. So, why the change in name, huh? Was it to confuse people like me? I bet it was...shifty eyes

So, enjoy Unwanted Help, and please review!

-------------------------------------------------

The loud, obnoxious beep sounded throughout the dark room. Groaning, a spiky, brown-haired teen got out of bed and slammed his hand down on the alarm clock. Ears still ringing, he slipped a shirt and a pair of pants on and walked out of his room. There was a drunken woman in the kitchen, but the boy just walked past her, grabbed a set of keys and a backpack, and walked out of the house.

As soon as the autumn air hit his face, his face lit up slightly. The day was gloriously cold. Slipping an overly-large sweatshirt on, he worked his way down to the sidewalk and away from the shabby building he called his home.

A car was driving, but as it passed him it slowed down. The teen ignored it, thinking whoever was driving the car was trying to get into the driveway he was walking across; that is, until a loud honking came from the vehicle and a head popped out of the window.

Another teenager, around his age, walked out and towards him. "You're...Sora, aren't you? From my class?" After a nod, he continued, "Would you like a ride? School is a little ways away from here, and it's supposed to rain. By the looks of it, you don't have an umbrella, either..." As if on cue, thunder rumbled suddenly, and from the dark sky burst the first tiny rain drops.

Sora looked hesitantly at him. He seemed genuine, but...

"Please?"

Sora was taken aback by the politeness when _he_ was the one offering the ride. So, as not to be rude, he replied with a quiet, "Sure." Sora climbed into the back of the car, sliding in so his classmate could get in beside him. After they shut the door and continued on their way, Sora quietly asked, "You're Riku, right..?"

He smiled. "That's my name."

The rain outside had begun to poor, drenching everything. Sora noticed that Riku was staring at him, and it made him blush. Riku laughed, and Sora looked at him with a pout-filled, "What!"

"You..you're just so..You blushed, and it was just so.."

"Just so _what_?"

Riku shook his head, a playful grin on his face. "Just so different from what you seem like. In class, you never talk to anyone...you just pay attention and sort of lay your head down, or doodle in that notebook of yours. In fact, I think the first time I heard you say anything was today. Why don't you ever talk to anyone? We won't beat you up if you say 'Hi' every once and awhile, you know."

Sora cringed when Riku remarked about being beat up, but he didn't let him notice. "I like to keep to myself."

"Why?"

It was a simple question, but why couldn't he answer it? Slowly, Sora started. "Well...it's just how I am, I guess. We're all different, aren't we? Besides..."

"Besides...?" Riku looked at him questioningly, an eyebrow raised.

Realizing what Sora had set up for himself, he inhaled sharply. Luckily, he was saved form answering the question as the car pulled up to their school. "Ah, look, we've arrived..Well then, Sora, I'll see you in class!" Riku hopped out, holding the door open for Sora, who followed suit and entered the grey building, making his way to his classroom. Riku wasn't far behind him, and they both sat down simultaneously as the bell rang.

"Class!" Their homeroom teacher, who designated seating arrangements and gave any important information before actual school began, was Ms. Chihiro. "We're going to rearrange everyone today, and try something new. I'm going to arrange you all by first name. Everyone will have a partner sitting across from them, and as we are starting a lot of partner activities this semester, they will be your partner. Forever. Now then..." She trailed off, already beginning to arrange people. Sora stood up and noticed Riku was right behind him.

"You know, 'Sora' comes right after 'Riku'," he mentioned lightly. "I think it'll be...interesting, don't you?" He smirked at Sora, sitting down as the teacher told him to.

"Sora, you're Riku's partner." Sora inwardly groaned. It was something about him, about Riku, that drove him mad. He got so many feelings...He shook his head and sat down. _Let's see what class has in store for me today_, he thought with a rueful smile.

---------------

Sora slammed his locker and began walking soundlessly to the entrance of the school. Everyone else had already left, anxious to get home. He, on the other hand, spent as much time possible after school at his locker, dawdling and double-checking everything. He stepped outside and grimly noticed that it was _still_ raining. _Well then, I'll just have to get wet_, he thought with a sigh.

"Ah, now, no need for that." Riku was suddenly standing beside him, umbrella in hand. He was holding it around and above Sora. It took him a minute to realize that he had thought aloud, and how the two boys looked...Riku was holding an umbrella for him, and his arm went around to Sora's other side to pull him closer. "It's hard to fit both of us under here," Riku said, almost to himself.

Sora blushed, and Riku laughed. "Don't tell me this bothers you?" When Sora did nothing but look down, Riku smiled apologetically and placed the umbrella in Sora's hand, stepping out from under it. "Now, let's walk."

"He-hey! You'll get all wet! Riku!" Sora protested with a pout, but Riku had already begun walking, and gave a laugh.

"It seems to me that you need it more then I do...you're wearing jeans and a cotton shirt. I'm wearing my athletic stuff. I won't be that wet, but you, you'll get soaked, Sora. Besides.."He smirked, suddenly grabbing Sora around the shoulders. "You blushed, and it was adorable."

Without meaning to, Sora blushed again, and attempted to scowl. "I never asked for your charity, I'm fine on my own, without the stupid umbrella. I'm used to it by now." Stubbornly, he tossed the umbrella aside. The two stared at each other in silence for a moment before Sora suddenly spouted, "Oh my god! that-it was your umbrella, and I just-ugh, I am so sorry, Riku..let me go get it..ohhhh..." Sora was blushing madly now, and was about to turn around when RIku grabbed him around the wrist to hold him in place.

"It's ok,"he murmured. "It was just an umbrella...though, now look at you, you'll get really cold."

"Just let me go get your umbrella, Riku. Please," he said with a sigh and attempted to pull away; however, Riku held firm and squeezed Sora's wrist. Sora gave a howl, pulling his wrist to his chest and falling on his knees. The pain shooting up his arm was unbearable, and he couldn't stand it; he continued to try and pull away anyway.

"Sora..what? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hold you that hard! Where does it hurt..?" Riku seemed really concerned, and Sora was in so much pain he threw his arm at Riku without thinking. An instant later he snapped his arm back, right before Riku had been able to actually lift his sleeve.

"I..it doesn't hurt anymore." Sora quickly stood up, and although he was dizzy, ran into his house, slamming and locking the door upon entry.

"...Liar," Riku murmured. He looked down at his own hands and closed his eyes. He had been sure of it. He'd been about to lift Sora's sleeve, but before he had a chance to pull away, Riku saw it...a long, deep cut across Sora's wrist. It had been bleeding. He could still smell the blood even though the fragile-looking boy had left him. Riku stood up and said to nobody in particular, "I want to know why. I want...to help him," before continuing his walk home.

---------------------------------------

Ok, I'll try to update ASAP, but I'm not promising anything. School is a never-ending cycle of homework and projects, soo...eheh. "

Feel free to ask any questions or whatever..I'll answer them here, if I can. Please review!

--soraAI


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again! Thanks for the two reviews:

Dodongo: yes, Sora will tend to be the emo one here. XD Hopefully I'll be able to make this story slightly original or something, considering I've noticed quite a few that focus around the same way Sora is emo…er…hopefully that will make sense after this chapter…

Chaos faith: Thank you for being so enthusiastic! I appreciate you loving it already. -- You're so nice.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, there would be more angst, more Sora, and more…er…Sora.

Please enjoy the chapter!

----------------------------------------------

_The sound of a slap, of skin smacking against skin, of shouts and muffles screams. All it truly sounded like was pain. Beyond imaginable pain…bruising, cutting, ripping…nothing was left untainted; nothing was left untouched by-_

"Uwah!" Sora jolted upright, a heavy sweat covering his entire body. He pressed his hand against his forehead and tried to calm his rapid breath. That dream…again, the same dream. "Why can't I even be free in my dreams?" he murmured softly, flopping back down on his bed with a soft 'umph.' Sora glanced over at his clock; the time read 7:30. He got out of bed and walked downstairs, clad in a large black shirt and grey sweatpants. Glancing out of the window as he got himself a glass of water, he noticed the still steady rain.

"Why does it have to rain today, of all days? It's a Saturday…I should be able to go and do whatever I want, to get away from here. Now I'll just be stuck here…"Giving a sigh, Sora began to walk back to his bedroom and was at the foot of the stairs when the phone rang. He was so surprised, and it had been so long since it had actually rung, that he flipped the plastic cup up in the air and it poured all over his head. Brown spikes sagging with wet hair covering various parts of his face, Sora went and answered the phone.

"Hello…?"

"Hello Sora."

"…R-Riku..?"

"That IS my name. I thought we went through that already." Riku gave a smirk as he heard the other person begin to stutter. "No, no, it's fine, really. Listen, do you think you could open your front door for a second?"

"Er…why..?" Sora asked, utterly confused; however, following Riku's instructions, Sora went and opened his front door. He began to gape as Riku was standing in front of him, under the shelter of his porch with a cell phone against his ear.

"Because, a friend needs to get out of the rain…"He smiled and shut the phone, stepping inside the dimly lit house. "Well, this is cheerful…"he said sarcastically, turning on the nearest switch.

"H-hey! Don't do that, my Dad's still asleep-"

As soon as Sora frantically reached for the light, a loud moaning was heard from one room over, followed by a rather harsh, "Sora! What is that light doing on? It's fucking 7:30 in the morning!"

Riku noticed Sora wincing at the language, or maybe it was the tone of voice, but he replied, "S-sorry, I was..I just needed to clean up this spill, I tripped and water fell-"

"Well then, clean the damn mess up already! I better not have stains on the carpet. I'm trying to sleep, hurry it up, you stupid, lazy ass…"the man grumbled before they heard a loud snore and figured he had either passed out or gone back to sleep.

Riku looked over to Sora, noticing for the first time that the top of his hair was wet. He was also blushing again, and he looked quite sad and embarrassed. "I'm sorry about that," he whispered," he always gets upset when people wake him up…" Sora traveled into the kitchen, reached into a drawer full of towels, and picked one up. He went back to the wet spots on the floor and began to soak them up.

Sora gasped as his eyes were suddenly concealed by another towel that had been thrown over his head. He felt Riku grab it and he gently rubbed Sora's hair against it. "Here, this'll make your hair dry faster…if you don't try to, you might get sick."

He almost literally purred like a cat; the oh-so-gentle rubbing against his aching head felt so nice, Sora forgot what he was doing and just sat there, letting Riku continue with his work. Soon he stopped, and Sora blushed again, noticing how Riku knew Sora had stopped working. Riku picked up the towel, along with the one Sora has been using, and hung them up in the kitchen. "Come on," he murmured, so as not to wake the man, "I know a place we can go to talk, ok? I want to ask you a few things. And it looks to me like you might want to get out of here while you can. The rain will become worse soon."

Riku said it simply and lightly enough, but Sora still felt uneasy. Depending on the questions Riku was going to ask, he didn't know if he wanted to answer. But he also…he also felt strangely attached to Riku. Riku just had a way of making him feel slightly better, even though he'd been talking to him for, what, less then 24 hours?

Sora took Riku's hand to help him up, and the two slipped out of the door and into the rain, sharing the umbrella, in silence.

-----------------------------------

The two boys strolled slowly; they had entered a park-like trail, and because of the rain, nobody else was around. Riku was looking down at Sora, taking everything he could in. His hair was a dark cinnamon brown color, spiked in various directions; he was shorter then Riku by about a foot, and his clothes suggested that he either didn't care much about how he dressed or he didn't want attention.

Sora noticed Riku's stares; he always did, even if he didn't say anything. Looking up to the taller boy, Sora pointedly said, "You know, staring isn't very polite...I suppose I wouldn't mind, but you're looking at me like a hawk."

Any other person would have looked away at that, but Riku just kept on staring, and smirked. "I get that a lot."

Sora huffed, crossing his arms across his chest and running over to sit on a bench. It was hidden under a Weeping Willow, it the veiw from between the branches at a large lake was breathe-taking. Riku came over and sat by him, umbrella tossed to the side; the tree provided enough shelfter with its thick branches to keep the two dry. "So, Sora..."Riku began, "who was that man? In your house?"

Riku was looking so curiously at him that before he realized what he was doing Sora blurted, "He's my father." As soon as he said the words he covered up his mouth, face burning red.

"Why would your own father yell at you like that...?"

"...O-oh...well, you know...there are worse things then being yelled at," Sora managed to stutter out.

"Like what?"

He wanted to look up at Riku, he really did; but Sora's face was already burning with shame, and he knew two things: If Sora were to try and look at him, he would run away, and he wasn't going to escape answering this question. Not only did something in his mind demand him to answer Riku, but he had a distinct feeling that he might grab Sora's arms above his head and pin him against a tree if he didn't. "Like..." his speech started low and soft, slightly slurred, "like...being hit. O-or-"

"Or?"

"Or...just...hurt..."Sora's eyes gazed down in front of him, head turned down. He couldn't stand to look at Riku, because he knew that he would run away. Just like anyone else every did. He closed his eyes tightly when he heard Riku move and stand up, willing himself to forget this new person, willing himself to forget that he had maybe wanted to be his friend. Sora was concentrating on this so hard that he failed to notice Riku was still there until his warm arms envoloped Sora in a tight but gentle hug.

"R-riku-" Sora gasped, not used to the comforting contact.

"it's alright," Riku murmured softly, arms still pressing Sora against him. "He hit you? You father hurt you?"

"Hurts," he mumbled, correcting Riku's tense to make it present. He felt the arms tighten.

"He still does?" Riku growled, barely managing to control his temper.

"..." Receiving only silence from him, Riku grabbed Sora by the shoulders; however, his gaze still averted Riku's, so he took Sora's chin and forced it, along with his eyes, up onto his own.

"When was the last time he hurt you?"

"Last...last night."

"How often does he do that to you?"

At this, Sora shrugged. "It depends on how much he's drinken, what kind of day he's had, what I've done, and what kind of woman he has with him."

Riku narrowed his eyes. "How often? Give me a rough estimate."

"At least 5 to 6 times a week."

"Why?"

"Wait, why what?" Sora was utterly confused now. His whole head was in a jumble; after all, he had spoken to an almost-stranger about his deepest secret, and he had told that almost-stranger everything.

"Why..." Riku gace a frusterated sigh. There were so many _why_'s that he couldn't figure out where to start. "Why does he hit you? And so often?"

Sora hesitated a moment before slowly saying, "Because I'm a worthless, unloveable person, and he needs to remind me of that..."

"Why do you think that?"

"It's all I've heard for sixteen years, and it's all that has been proven to me."

"Why have you told me all this? I can't imagine you've told anyone else."

"Riku, there's...there's just something about you, and it makes me want to be comepletely honest. It makes me...not want to lie to, or hide anything from, you..." He trailed off, eyes trained down ever since Riku had let go of his chin and sat beside him.

The two sat in silence for some time. Riku finally broke it, asking, "Would you like to go to the fair tomorrow? It opens, and my other friends have gone out of town for the weekend. I was wondering if you'd like to come with me."

For the first time since the walk, Sora looked up at Riku. He had been talking as if nothing had happened; as if nobody had ever been beaten or anything. He gave Riku the most incredulous look before replying, "Sure, but I've never been before.."

"Well then, "he said, smirking, as usual. "This will be an adventure, won't it?"

-----------------------------------------------

Sorry if this is sort of sudden...I really have no idea where I'm going with this, or the whole story, for that matter. I just sort of have a basic idea on who has what, etc etc, not exactly what happens. So I decided to reveal a part of Sora's secret here. Er...yeah, this is bound to get more angsty and awful, but maybe in writing the next chapter I'll have an idea of where to take this.

Comment with any ideas, complaints, questions, and concerns, etc etc, pelase! All reviews are majorly appriciated...as is for most people on here. Thanks for taking the time to look at this.

--sora AI


	3. Chapter 3

Ok! Sorry this chapter/update has taken so long to get to, for the few people that read this little story. About two weeks ago I was having a LOT of school projects, and then after that I had no computer for 2 whole weeks! So on this note, I won't be updating much until May 25th because that's when school ends...and with Final Exams coming up and the fact that my Birthday was on the 13th, I don't know where I'll find much time for this story.

So, please bare with me and enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: Ok, if I owned Kingdom Hearts, would I really be complaining about having no internet and working on an 8 year old computer that has Windows 98? I think not.

------------------------------

Sora gave an impatient sigh. Again. He and Riku had been waiting in line for a total of 30 minutes to buy tickets, get food and drinks, and get more tickets. For some reason, and he couldn't understand why, at fairs you pay with tickets to get food instead of money.

"Sora, I know you're getting impatient, but we're almost done, I promise."

"I'm not impatient, I'm bored," Sora huffed back. "And I still don't understand why you have to buy your food with tickets instea-"

"I've explained this to you a million times! What's so complicated about the system?"

"The so-called "system" doesn't make any sense!"

"Excuse me, Sirs; are you going to buy tickets or what?" The cranky, mid-30's looking woman behind the ticket booth looked at them sharply, her eyes showing scorn when she noticed a few bruises on Sora's arms and Riku's silver hair. "Is that hair color allowed in school..?" When Riku just stared at her, she turned to Sora and said, "You've got quite a few bruises there. Did he do that? I have an emergency button right here, I can call the police and you'll be free of that rotten-"

"No, no, we were just playing around and my poor, dear friend fell down this hill. Apparently he hit a rock or two. He bruises easily. Please, we'd like $20 worth of tickets..." After the transaction, Riku quickly pushed Sora away from the lady and the booth.

Sora looked back at the booth, a hint of fear in his eyes. "She was...terrifying. Riku, please tell me we don't have to go back and get more, she was all stare-y and her face freaks me out.."

He gave a small chuckle accompanied by a smile. "Nope, we're all set." Looking down at the younger boy, Riku gave a frown. "Although, I can't help but think your arms will cause some stares...you do have some noticeable..." He trailed off, for once not exactly sure how to put it.

"I know the bruises are noticeable...I was going to wear long sleeves, but it is so hot and sunny I figured that would cause more stares then my bare arms. Either that or heat stroke," Sora said, in a lighter tone that Riku would have imagined. _Questions are for later_, Riku reminded himself. _Today is a day for Sora to get away from all that. To have fun._

"Now, what ride should we go on first..." Sora gave no reaction to this; therefore, Riku decided for them. "We'll start off with something wild. Let's go on the roller coaster, Sora!" Grabbing his arm, Riku dragged him into the line.

"Uwah, Riku! Another line?" Sora cried out, obviously distraught; however, when Riku just stared at him blinking as a smirk crept on his face, he had to ask why. "Er, Riku...? Why-why are you looking at me like that..?"

"That noise...was so...oddly...Ugh, God Sora, that noise you made was adorable. And it fit you perfectly." At the comment, Sora started blushing madly, trying to hide his face in his hands. This made Riku laugh-yes, an actual, full-out laugh. No snigger, or small chuckle, or anything; just laughter. Sora looked up in astonishment. "Now, c'mon! We can get on!" Sora slid next to Riku on the seat, and the ride began.

Turning, rotating ever faster, the wheels took the passengers up to the top of an extremely tall hill. It squeaked to a stop; the riders just sitting in a still silence. "This is the best part, "Riku told him. "We'll start going down in a second...it's horrifying at first, but once you realize it's just wind and you're perfectly safe, it feels like you're flying."

Sora opened his mouth to say something; however, before he had a chance to, the train of cars began its decent. It only lasted a second, the feeling of dread, of falling and never coming back up, of plummeting downward in a never-ending spiral; but the second was long enough. After the initial shock of the ride, Sora began to enjoy himself. "Riku, you were right! It does feel like I'm flying!" Sora yelled at his friend, but the wind prevented him of hearing it. So, to demonstrate, Sora closed his eyes and put his hands outward; he smiled, for Riku did the same.

The ride ended sooner then expected. As the passengers tumbled out, Sora rushed back into the line, almost dragging Riku with him. "We're doing that again! Again, again, again! It was awesome! How do people complain about these?"

"Don't you want to try all the other rides first and then decide which is your favorite...?"

Sora stood there blinking. "Oh...right. I forgot. There's more then just the roller coaster..." Riku smacked his palm against his forehead; it was pretty hard to not notice all the rides, the noise, and the people, yet Sora had. So, the pair continued their 'Fair Adventure', as Sora called it.

---

Riku sat down next to Sora, who was crying quietly into his hands. "R-Riku," he hiccupped, "I n-never want to go on that r-ride e-ever, ever again. W-why do people like such s-scary things?"

A tear streaked face looked up at Riku, and he instantly softened inside. _I shouldn't have taken him on the Haunted House, I should have known something would happen. _Riku gently rubbed Sora's back as he grabbed at pieces of the funnel cake he'd brought back. "No worries, you don't have to." His friend began to look a little more cheerful, so Riku added, "And I'm...really, really sorry for taking you. I should have guessed that you would react this way."

"No!" Surprise showed in Riku's face. "I mean, you promised to show me all the rides; if you hadn't let me go on it, I would forever call you a liar. Now I know what it is, and I know I don't like it..._after_ I've tried it. So thank you, Riku!" Beaming, Sora got up from the bench and started walking. Riku jogged a moment to catch up. He was gazing intently up into the sky, perhaps at the big, bright moon. "It's time to leave, isn't it? It seems awfully late..."

Riku sighed. "You don't want to, do you?"

"..."

"Well, I _was_ wondering if you'd like to come over tonight and hang out, maybe play some video games or something..."

Sora looked back at him, goofy smile plastered on his lips. "Thanks for the offer, Riku, but I really should be going home. I've got some chores I need to finish, and it's getting kinda late. So, thanks a lot for today! It was really fun, and I appreciate it. I'll see you on Monday, right?"

With a nod, "Yup. Monday. See ya!" He waved and turned his back, going in an opposite direction from Sora.

---

Quietly, Sora slipped into his house and became attentive. _No lights, so sounds...maybe I'll be lucky and get a 'no father'?_ He sneaked around the house, checking all downstairs rooms before he slunk upstairs. With a sigh of relief he fell into a heap of blankets on his bed. "What a lucky day, " he murmured, "I get to spend time with someone...actually _nice_, and I come back to an empty house." Decidedly, Sora got up, grabbed a towel, removed his clothes and went to take a shower.

----

He opened the bathroom door, the steam that had been building up in the tiny room billowing out, and he shivered; it was so cold compared to the hot goodness of the bathroom, so much so that he almost walked back in and closed the door. One thing stopped him-noises. He heard noises downstairs, and being the curious (and slightly paranoid) person that he is, he went down to check things out.

The instant Sora saw who it was, he wanted to bolt back up to his bedroom and lock himself away, but the dreaded person had already seen him. His father. Again, Sora shivered; not only was he cold in only a towel wrapped around his waist, but also the eyes of his father were enough to cool even the brightest flame. He visibly gulped.

"Sora, where have you been all day?" His speech wasn't slurred, which, in the end, made him even more dangerous.

"I was here."

"Liar. I came back every few hours and you were never home. Where were you, Sora?"

"I was home." This remark made his Dad's brow furrow and crease in anger and annoyance.

"I'm warning you, Sora, don't lie to me. You know you won't like what happens. Now, where were you?"

"I. Was. Here." Sora couldn't tell this man he'd made a friend, that he'd spent all day with him; knowing his Dad he would forbid him from ever seeing him again, and that was the last thing he wanted. Seeing Riku was the top of his priority list at the moment, and he could take a few hits for that-he knew they were coming.

As soon as the remark was out of his mouth, his right cheek was slapped hardly, and the noise was very audible. "I told you not to lie! Give me the truth, Sora! What are you afraid of?" With no answer, he roughly grabbed Sora's shoulders and shook him violently. "Where did you go? Who did you see?" He smirked after the second question because Sora had looked him in the eyes when asked. "Aah, so you _did_ see someone...Who was it?"

"..." Another slap, this time leaving a large red print.

"Who, Sora? Who did you see?"

"..."Again, no answer. This time, two slaps in the exact same place.

"Dammit Sora, just tell me who the fuck this is!" After yelling, he lowered his voice to a mere whisper, "I'm just trying to help you. You're worthless and don't know it, and so many people want to hurt your pretty form...but see, if you just tell me who it is you're seeing, I can stop them from hurting you. See? I just want you to remain here, unhurt, forever..." When Sora continued to remain silent, he slammed the boy against the wall.

Sora gave a gasp of surprise; the slam was unexpected, and he saw a few stars for a moment. "You still won't tell me, will you?" When Sora nodded, his father got a maniacal smile on his face. "Then I'm sorry, my boy, but this is the only way to teach you to mind me..."

That's when it began- at first, it was like only moments before, where he would get the occasional slap, violent shake, or push against a wall; however, soon his father grew more violent. He began to punch at Sora, not paying attention where, and he gave a loud groan and toppled over when he made contact with the middle of his stomach area. The kicks rained down on him, but before he could get fully used to it, something that had never happened before occurred: his father stopped. He just up and left the room into his own.

His mind a fog of confusion, Sora got up, his weak, tired, and sore body barely able to. He looked over at his father's room before he was about to climb up his stairs when all his confusion was cleared up; in his father's hand was a leather belt. Before he had chance to make the connection, the was a hand around his neck directing him to his room. Once there he was shoved, face down, on the bed, so that his knees were on the ground. He was about to ask why when he felt a pair of hands work their way around to his midriff, staying there longer then necessary on purpose. "Now, I promise you, Sora..." he began to murmur softly as he untied Sora's towel and let it fall down to the ground., "This will hurt you more then it does me." Laughing, he stood up, unrolled the belt, and began to smack it against Sora's backend.

---

He rolled himself into the fetal position and was crying softly. He had been for the past hour. Sora was completely naked, new, large bruises dotted his body, his behind was redder then a tomato, and his back, also red, had a few bleeding cuts on it. He no longer cared about anything except making the pain, the suffering, the fear, and the humiliation go away. Slowly he began to drift into a clouded sleep; the last thought he could make out was _I won't be able to go to school...there's no way I can sit down, function with these aches...or...face Riku..._

-----------------------------------------------------

uwah! Poor Sora! Don't you feel bad for him? I wish to give him a hug. I'm so cruel to my favorite character...

As I said before, I really don't know where this is going..feedback would be nice, and I appreciate those 3 who have already! I would put your special names here, but I can't look it up, as I have no internet. read the above note. So anyway, please review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

- sora AI


	4. Chapter 4

Another warm hello! -waves-

Well, the stroy continues...No announcements really. I lead a boring, unsocial life. So, as always, please enjoy, and please review! It makes me feel loved. XD

Disclaimer: I only own Kingdom Hearts and it's characters in my dreams...which means I don't own it/them at all...-huggles Sora plushie in a corner and cries-

-----------------------------------------------------------

Something wasn't right, and Riku could feel it. Sora hadn't come to school, even though he'd said himself that he'd see Riku on monday. It was lunch time and he was pondering this when a rather loud distraction occured.

"RIKUUUUUU!" The scream was ear-shattering, and Riku winced.

"Damnit Selphie, do you PRACTICE these screaches of yours?"

"Y'never know..." Selhpie sat her tray next to Riku and turned her head to look at him, resting it on the upside of her hand. "You're so...un-Riku today! What's up?"

"Ya, man, you're wacked." Wakka sat diagonal from Riku, joined by Tidus.

"You seem gloomy... more so then normal, that is," Kairi commented, sitting by next to Tidus and across Riku as she high-fived Namine, who sat beside her.

The normally quiet girl spoke, "Yes, you have been rather odd today."

And before Riku knew what hit him, his friends were all gathered around him, baraging him with comments about his attitude. He snorted, thinking to himself, _Normally my mood isn't this visible. _"Well then, guess I'll have to fix this visible attitude change of mine, won't I? I might loose my 'mysterious aura.'"

"'Badass aura is more like it,"Tidus grumbled, earning him a carrot thrown at his face. "No, but seriously, you've been so _weird_ today! What's eating you?"

Riku heaved a sigh. "Nah, it's nothing..." He looked at their inquiring faces and decided to tell them part of it. "Well...You know Sora?"

"Oh, he's that really quiet kid in our English class, right? With hair that defies gravity?"

"Ohmigosh, he's so freaking _cute_!" Selphie squealed with Kairi and Namine, and Riku just nodded.

"Yeah, well, I met him over the weekend; he's really nice, and he doesn't have a single friend." He paused for emphasis. "He said he would see me on Monday, but he isn't here, and it just seems like something he wouldn't do, I guess." Riku shrugged, wishing his worry would shrug away with it.

"Oooooh...so THAT'S where you were all weekend! Well, I'm sure he's fine, maybe he just got sick or something?" Kairi questioned.

"Who got sick now?" Roxas, the only missing person from their lunch table, sat down one chair from Riku. Namine informed him of the event, and he nodded. "I've talked to Sora a little bit; we have the exact same eyes. We accidentily ran into each other in the hallway and were extremely creeped out about it. He's really quiet, yes, but also...skittish, don't you think, Riku?"

He nodded. "Yeah, he does. And why the space...?"

"I'm _sure_ he's fine-"

"How can you be so confident?"

Roxas smiled. "This'll explain the space, too; I found him in the hallway. Looked a tad confused, so I showed him where to stick late notes...and, speak of the devil, I told you to sit with us, didn't I, Sora?" He grinned at Sora, who now stood behind the empty seat by Roxas and Riku. The whole table was gaping at him at the moment; after all, they'd never exactly seen him except in their classes, and even then he was ghostly.

"Uhm...uh, y-yeah." Cue the jaw-dropping. None had heard him talk, discluding Riku and Roxas. Sora gingerly sat himself down, not able to contain a wince when his butt actually touched the chair, and he sat there with a pained expression for a moment before he became blank again.

"Sora, where _were_ you today?" Riku was barely able to surpress his excitement, but he knew he had to, otherwise his friends would suspect something.

"Sorry, Riku, I wasn't feeling very good this morning...I think maybe it was that funnel cake. Got to my stomach or something, you know..."He trailed off, and Riku looked him up and down. He was wearing long sleeves, pants, tennis shoes; he was pretty covered up. His hands seemed fine, if that said anything; however, it was Sora's face that disturbed Riku the most. His eyes were slightly dull, and didn't contain the sparkle he had grown used to seeing at the carnival. They also seemed quite red.

Roxas seemed to notice the redness, too. "Are you okay?" he asked simply. When Sora looked startled, Roxas gave a small smile and pointed to one of his own eyes. "Your eyes are pretty red. Most of us probably think it's normal, but my eyes aren't that red around, and we already decided they were the same..."

Sora shook his head feircely. "No, no, I'm fine...just didn't get much sleep last night."

"Insomnia?" Tidus looked at him with a friendly gaze.

"Something like that, "Sora said politely. "Er...Tidus, right?"

Tidus nodded happily. "Yeah! And this is Wakka, Kairi, Namine, Selphie, and you know Riku and Roxas already, so.."

"W-well, I'm Sora-"

"Yep! We know, barely," Selphie flashed him a grin as he blushed. The three girls squealed, which only increased Sora's akwardness.

"OhmyGOSH, he's so CUTE!" They screamed in unison.

"Again, damnit, do you guys PRACTICE these things!" Riku yelled at them, plugging his ears.

They collapsed into a fit of giggles, just giving the confused-looking boys of the table those infamous 'looks.'

---

Sora heaved a gentle sigh as he fit snugly on a bean bag chair. He loved his English class, including the teacher. It was so much fun for him, albeit a bit odd. Riku grabbed a blue bag and sat on it by next to Sora, who was glancing over at the upperclassmen.

"Y'know, I still don't understand how we have older students..." Riku commented in a light huff as he sat.

Sora meekly shrugged. "Who understands this school's system? Not even the teachers themselves, I promise you.." He hushed as their teacher walked in, strolling in a rather bouncy manner to his desk as the bell rang.

The man always wore a long black coat over whatever was underneath, even in the summer. His gloved fingers drummed impatiently on the edge of his desk as he waited for the rest of the class to quit talking. He was ever-so-slightly pale, and his hair was in some weird sort of spike. Though he was a teacher, the whole class called him Demyx, and said person began to pace in front of the room and spoke.

"So, class...we're reaching halfway through the first half of the year-"

"Wouldn't that be a fourth of the year then, _Sir_?" Once of the upperclassmen, Yuffie, pipped up the comment rather excitedly.

"Well, Yuffie, we know what you learned yesterday-" said girl puffed her cheeks up in response,"-but let's not interupt the teacher with silly mathmatics. As I was saying, we're getting into the school year. You all should know by now that I like having a comfortable environtment, and quite honestly, this one's not...comfortable _enough_. So, we're going to be doing some exercises these next two weeks or so, and after a week after is had ended, an essay will be due about your reflections and thoughts on it." He paused and studied his students' faces before laughing.

"Today we're going to be playing a game called 'I've Never.' Basicly, we gather around in a circle, with one person in the middle. They have to tell the class something they've never done; if you are sitting down and have done that, then you along with everyone else who has done said thing, has to get up and try to find another seat to sit in. If you're stuck in the middle, YOU say something you've never done, it the process continues. Any questions? Good." Without waiting for an answer, Demyx began moving the bean bag chairs (with students still on them) into a large circle. He stood in the middle, a trademark smile playing his features as he laughed, "I've never gone a year without meeting someone new."

After the shock wore off due to the question, the laughing students all stood up and ran around for a seat. Yuffie was left in the middle, and she giggled. "Okay, okay, okay...I've never gone a day without talking." She scruried into Sora's seat, as he was the only one who stood up. He laughed awkwardly, and Demxy smiled up at him.

"Now! Sora, not many people here know you very well, you're so quiet...let's surprise them, n'kay!"

For some odd reason, Demyx's little talk helped calm him down, and Sora blurted out, "I've..I've never sung in front of anyone purposefully."

Some people laughed as they got up and switched. So the game went on, and Sora gradually began to warm up to the class. Sometimes the 'Nevers' were funny, like Axel's, some more serious, like Leon's, and otherwise were so random you just didn't know what to do with the answer.

"I've never eaten sea salt ice cream!"

Roxas gaped and stood up in shock. "You've NEVER had sea salt ice cream?" The girl shook her head. "You're crazy! Something's wrong with you! You haven't lived!" He was ranting so much that before he knew it, he was stuck in the middle.

"..."

He smacked his forhead and grumbled. "I've never...liked a person from a younger grade, class, whatever." He sat down with the mental note that Axel had gotten up.

Demyx stood up, making everyone quiet down. "Okay, we've had enough fun with this game. Get to the desks and reflect for 5 minutes, then we can have a big group discussion, maybe decide what to do tomorrow, okay? Now, dance!" He did an odd jig as the class sat down in fits of laughter.

He strummed lightly on his odd instrument while the class was 'working.'

---

Sora stepped outside, a smile playing his lips as he breathed the fresh air in. He felt someone touch him lightly on the shoulder and whirled around to see Riku.

"O-oh! Hey, Riku!"

"Sora.."he frowned a bit before pursueing, "is everything okay...at home?"

He feigned confusion before lighting up. "Oh! Yeah, not, I'm fine! I seriously though didn't feel good this morning...ugh, I don't know why, but I had to laze around a bit before I could come. I hope I didn't worry you too much!" He plastered a large, goofy smile on his lips as he began walking home.

"No, not at all..."Riku murmered, but both boys could tell it was a lie. Once Sora was out of his range of vision, Riku groaned. "Why can't you tell me?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yay! Hey my few faithful readers!

Yes, I've updated. Sorry it's taken so long...I;vebeen kinda busy with Summer starting and all, and to be honest, I didn't feel much like updating.. But I did, for my new and old reviewer.

Please keep reviewing...it keeps me wanting to update. Tell people about this story, whatever you wanrt to, but I really appriciate the comments!

I hoped you liked the chapter. I was originally going to have Axel as the teacher, and Demyx later as a music teacher, but I realised I might want to add a bit of Axel and Roxas..xD That couple amuses me so. Yeah, so, it's weird to get around Demyx being an english teacher, but, well..-shruf- What can I say?

Review please!


End file.
